Yes, and I go to great lengths to give folks like you a wide berth, especially if you're riding in groups. That doesn't have anything to do with any disregard for motorcycles. Quite the opposite. Most of the bikers I know have been seriously injured at least once in their riding careers, and I try my best not to be the four wheeler that didn't see one coming.
That particular Lincoln was introduced in 1972 with the old malleable bumper style, and the new sturdy bumper regulations came into effect in '73 or '74 and were installed intitially either on Mark IV or V.
FYI, the security features are to help prevent theft and car jacking. Most of those features were third party, and the manufactorers decide to install the feature themselves. Nothing to do with regulations, period.
The Mark IV had no safety bumpers in 1972. The 5 mph standard was applied to front bumpers in 1973, and to both front and rear in 1974. The vast majorty of Mk IV;s had the chrome railroad ties. Those regulations are still in effect, and in fact, are even more stringent. Yet designers and engineers are no longer desiging cars with ungainly chrome railroad ties hanging incongruously off the front and back. No, the real issue was an industry that had gotten used to not having to invest much money in its products. If you boil the description of the average American car of 1975 down to its basic componants (front engine, rear drive, powered with a carburated oversquare V-8, driving a three speed automatic transmission, a steel body on a ladder frame, with ball joint front suspension, leaf or coil springs supporting a solid axle), you'd find that they had changed very little in twenty years. By the mid 1960's, which boomers look back on as a sort of golden age, Detroit was pretty much doing not much more than restyling their boxes in two and three year cycles. Not that they didn't have the capability. They just didn't bother. When safety and emissions laws came along, they did respond, and respond far better than most people think. Every pollution control technology on cars around the world was invented in Detroit, mainly by GM. Eaton created the airbag. Mass produced anti lock brakes are also a US innovation, as are elecronically shifted transmission, and active suspension systems.
Not much anyone can do at a stopped light. Most accidents, however, happen when people are actually driving and either not paying attention, are driving recklessly or have put pressure on themselves to get somewhere in a truncated amount of time. Thanks for the BS reply though.
Pablum! This: ...and this: ...have the same drag coefficient! - - - Updated - - - The airbag is why my mother cannot safely drive my truck. - - - Updated - - - Not always...I have owned 3 cars with auto locks that could not be disabled. - - - Updated - - - No, not ALL cars have automatic locks! - - - Updated - - - Bumper regulations started in 1974.
Your point is? Neither of those are near optimal, aerodynamically. They have very distinctive shapes. The cars that are closest to aerodynamic perfection are very similar looking.
Not always...I have owned 3 cars with auto locks that could not be disabled. Well that's odd, I would think the dealer would have access to that if you wanted to change the configuration.
